Kingdom of God

Every few days (it seems like at least) there is a report / study / survey / commentary / sermon / rant / prophetic word / gut feeling that people are giving up on church in large numbers. Here is the latest one (HT Jesus Creed). This has been going on for quite some time. I don’t doubt the numbers and it is fairly obvious to the casual observer of American culture that this is, in fact, happening. As someone who has been watching this for a long time, I am not alarmed, dismayed, and certainly not surprised. However, I continue to be troubled. Not because people have given up attending church services. But because a generation has been sold a false bill of goods.

In my last post I talked about how easy it is to base a church’s life and ministry on “taking a stand“. This is a dangerous place to be and can suck the life out of even the most vibrant communities. The simple fact is, God did not wire the church to take on the culture in some kind of direct frontal assault. He actually never asked us to take on the culture at all. If anything, the image the New Testament paints is of a Spirit-filled, cross-bearing, underground family of subversives. In an article I wrote a few years ago, I described how a church like this would approach its mission:

“The Subversive Community’s mission is not to bring the kingdom of God from without; it is to release the kingdom of God from within. Subversives do not “reach outside people and encourage them to come in.” Subversives live and do their work ‘undercover’ where the world lives and breathes. Their goal is not escapism (trying to build a Christian utopia), but to show people how they can lay hold of life as God intended, in his Kingdom.”

The startling thing about the rise of the “nones” is that they are not going to return to church if somehow churches make their services more relevant. They also won’t return just because our theology is more inviting or inclusive. Quite simply, the ship has sailed on institutional Christianity’s position of influence to a large portion of the population. Again, this should not be a shocking revelation to any Christian who has had their eyes open in recent history. But it should have caused us to ask deeper questions than what kind of music we should play for worship or if we should have a Saturday night service to attract a younger crowd.

Full disclosure here: I am committed to a way of “doing church” that I feel best suits the place that God has called me and my family to live. You could call it simple church, organic church, home-grown-on-the-farm-church – whatever, pick your poison. In essence, we have chosen to worship in a way that strips back a lot of organizational fluff so we focus on the essentials. What are our essentials you ask? Well, here is a list we come back to again and again:

Discipleship – following Jesus together. Giving away what we have received.

Mission – making the world a better place. Building for the Kingdom.

Fun – enjoying ourselves along the way. We NEED to have fun.

It is amazing what can be accomplished by a relatively small group of people with limited time and resources if, as they like to say in AA, you keep the main thing the main thing. I believe the answer for the church’s next season will be found in returning to the beauty and simplicity of the Way of Life Jesus gave us. There is incredible diversity to be found in this Way. It will look very different from place to place (which I believe is an important challenge to the American tendency to franchise “success,” but that is fodder for another post.) But where the life of the Kingdom is concretely practiced by people who profess Jesus as Lord, there WILL be tangible fruit. It cannot be otherwise.

My response when people walk away from church en masse is to ask, “How have we not been living out the real thing?” This is the only response that honors the fact that the Holy Spirit is constantly at work in the world. As has been said so many times, our only job is to find out what he is doing and join in.

Maybe God is trying to tell us something: “I’ve been at work all around you in places you would never expect me to be. But you have been so busy playing church, that you forgot how to see me outside of a church service. Wake up! Take notice! Throw off your comfortable routines and empty traditions. Seek out and find me with the broken, the hurting, the sick, and the lonely. Find me talking with your atheist friend. Find me spending time with your shut-in neighbor. Find me sharing a drink with your blasphemous co-worker. I am there.”

In my last post, I ended with this thought: “This final image in Revelation is not of God’s people escaping the world floating on clouds. It is of a City with God himself at the center, we as his worshipping, resurrected family, and a glorious renewed earth. If this is our future, what does that mean for the present?”

The Christian hope in the resurrection and the Kingdom stands in stark contrast to the typical escapist images of life in heaven for eternity. We will inherit a “limitless” body, a bustling City, and creative, fulfilling, beautiful work without the curse that makes our work now often so frustrating. These are powerful, challenging images, but they beg the question: “how do we live now if that is our destiny?”

This is not a new question. The New Testament was written primarily to small communities who were trying to make sense of how to live in a confusing, changing world. They had the same questions we do. Why is there so much suffering? How should we respond to evil in the world? How can we live in the world, but not be of it? How can we see people come to faith in Jesus? What does the future hold and when will Jesus return?

The apostolic writers directed these communities back to the heart of Jesus’ message of Kingdom come. They envisioned small groups of people singularly committed to the Way of Jesus. In these groups, there was at the same time an incredible challenge to the self-righteous and an incredible invitation to the broken. The lavish, unfathomable love of God destroys religious achievement and blazes the trail for even the worst sinner to experience the riches of the Kingdom.

Dallas Willard describes what this will look like in practice: “We should, first of all, find ourselves constantly growing in our readiness and ability to draw our direction, strength, and overall tone of life from the everlasting kingdom, from our personal interactions with the Trinitarian personality who is God. This will mean, most importantly, the transformation of our heart and character into the family likeness, increasingly becoming like “children of our Father, the one in the heavens (Matt 5:45).” – The Divine Conspiracy

Yet it is still tempting to slip back into a vision of our future that only values individual decisions. Transformation is wonderful, but are you choosing an eternity in heaven or hell? This, of course, gets right to the heart of the matter. What is salvation for? Why are we being saved? What is the ultimate purpose of salvation? Is it just to avoid hell?

This is where our friend Tom Wright spells it out clearly: “As long as we see salvation in terms of going to heaven when we die, the main work of the church is bound to be seen in terms of saving souls for that future. But when we see salvation, as the NT sees it, in terms of God’s promised new heavens and new earth and of our promised resurrection to share in that new and gloriously embodied reality – what I have called life after life after death – then the main work of the church here and now demands to be rethought in consequence.” – Surprised by Hope

So we are being saved to participate in something much larger than ourselves and certainly something greater than to just avoid punishment. We are, in the words of Willard, training for reigning. So our life and work now as the church takes on new meaning. We are hope-filled, joyous, peaceful, excited, wonderfully creative, and constantly aware of the power we live by. It is important to say that we do not build God’s Kingdom. As Wright says, we build for God’s Kingdom.

Returning to my question above, in light of our future, how should we live now? To begin, I think we need to revise our expectations. If your vision of the future amounts to hell-avoidance, then your expectations for the present will be very limited. At best, you will hope to convince a few of your family and friends to say the sinners prayer before you go to be with Jesus. But if your vision is of a new heavens and earth brimming with hope and resurrection power, you will want to see that manifest in the present as much as possible. You will expect God to act in a way that is consistent with that future. And you will want to join in on the fun however you can.

“In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side…Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.” – Ezekiel 47:1,12

Ezekiel saw this vision in captivity. Israel had been removed from the land, the temple (and Jerusalem) had been destroyed, and the Israelites were decimated as a people. Ezekiel’s words made it clear that this would not be a short visit, but there was hope. God would restore what was lost and be present with his people. At the center of this restoration would be a temple (God’s presence – the name of the city would be YHWH-Shammah or “The Lord is There” – Ez. 48:35), a river (literally bringing life back to the land), and green fruit-bearing trees (providing fruit for food and leaves for healing).

I spent some time researching the properties of fruit leaves. It turns out that all the common trees that grow in Israel have leaves with healing properties. Apple tree leaves and bark have powerful astringent and antiseptic qualities. Mulberry leaves can be made into a tea that is packed with vitamins and minerals. Olive tree leaf extract can lower blood pressure and is full of antioxidants. Pistachio leaf extract has anti-fungal properties comparable to nystatin. Fig leaves have even been used to treat diabetes! Of course, the leaves must be green to extract these health benefits. So the promise that the river keeps the tree bearing fruit every month also keeps the leaves green and God’s people healthy.

This beautiful image of presence, provision, and healing has important parallels in the biblical story. For Ezekiel, this vision was not just about imagining a renewed Israel. He was pointing back to the beginning of the story, to the Garden:

“Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches.” – Genesis 2:8-10

The “four branches” describe what historically been called the fertile crescent, or the cradle of civilization. Right from the beginning, God intended Eden to be the head waters for the rivers that would populate the earth with life. Also present were the fruit-bearing trees bringing provision (and sadly, disobedience).

Ezekiel’s vision did not get fulfilled as he thought. The people returned to the land, the temple was rebuilt, but the other promises delayed. It was within this climate of hope deferred that Jesus spoke these words:

“On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” – John 7:37-38

So now, instead of the life-giving river coming from the heart of the temple, the living water (God’s Spirit) would come out of our hearts! Jesus, playing off the river imagery, draws a straight line from Eden, through Ezekiel, intersecting his own ministry, and points forward at the promise of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:29).

But the line does not end there. As Paul declares in Ephesians 1, the Spirit is God’s guarantee of a future inheritance. This inheritance, when “he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth,” (Eph. 1:10) is not our “heavenly reward.” It is not paradise, rest, or disembodied bliss. It also is not a return to Eden. Our inheritance is not a garden, but a City:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” – Rev. 21:1-2

Yet there is no temple in the middle of this city. It has been replaced with the throne of the King. Issuing from this throne is something very familiar:

“Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.” – Rev. 22:1-2

Now we get the full picture; the culmination of thousands of years of prophecy, hope, and expectation. The river flows straight from God’s unrestrained presence right down Main Street. Now there are two Trees of Life bearing fruit and providing leaves. Lest the impact of that last part be missed, the leaves are still “for medicine to heal the nations.” If this does not blow your mind, it should. There is something so profound about this idea, but John can only give us hints. Somehow, in the new heavens and earth, we are still involved in God’s healing and restorative project. John is quick to clarify, “No longer will there be a curse upon anything.” But it still does make one wonder.

This final image in Revelation is not of God’s people escaping the world floating on clouds. It is of a City with God himself at the center, we as his worshipping, resurrected family, and a glorious renewed earth. If this is our future, what does that mean for the present? I think it means that everything we do now empowered by the Holy Spirit is pouring living water into this world. Whatever we do, big or small, that bears fruit provides food and sustenance. And if our trees are bearing fruit, our leaves are green and healthy and becoming tools of healing for everyone around us.

It has almost been a year since Amber and I began gathering a group of people who wanted to start a new community of faith in our home town, Jupiter, Florida. Reflecting on the last several months, I have seen how much fruit can come from a small group of people that continue to yield to the Holy Spirit. We are committed to nurturing what has popularly become known as “missional communities.” Of course, like anything that has become popular, a little defining might be helpful. Also, my hope is that our story continues to inspire others to dream about what this would look like in their town, suburb, city, or neighborhood.

A missional community is a group of 10-70 or so people who join together for worship, mutual support and encouragement, growth as disciples of Jesus, and to find simple ways to do good in the world. We think this is the best environment to cultivate maturity in individuals, create authentic deep relationships, and actively join God’s mission. Our belief is that missional communities are a way to compliment and balance larger traditional churches in a suburban area. But a missional community is just the vessel. We are most concerned about calling people back to the treasure of the Christian life.

There are four New Testament words that are important for us to understand and live out:

Love, Grace, Spirit, and Kingdom.

It all starts with God’s love. If we start from a place of condemnation or failure as individuals, we miss the beauty of the Gospel. “For God so LOVED the world…” This is our trump card to the secular, consumer-driven society that we live in. God’s love cannot be bought or sold. From a humanistic point of view, his love makes no sense. It is an offense to the religious, proud, and self-justified. For the broken, God’s love is a treasure.

When we come to the place of receiving God’s love, we then understand how everything is a gift – it’s all grace. Not just our salvation, but every breath. Growing as a disciple of Jesus is growing in receiving grace and living grace.

Then we begin to understand the wonderful action of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit fills us, directs us, empowers us, comforts us, and sustains us. As we are joined together in community, we rely fully on the Holy Spirit to lead us and show us how we fit into one body.

It is at this point when we begin to understand our place in God’s kingdom – how we can experience the already of his kingdom and anticipate the kingdom to come. God’s kingdom is where his will is done perfectly, where what he wants done is done (D. Willard). That’s our goal as a missional community. To live in his kingdom, be agents of his kingdom, and to pray for his kingdom to come in the world.

Our dream is to see thousands of these missional communities popping up all over the United States. The beauty of what we have discovered is that they can be started and led by ordinary men and women. There are a variety of organizations out there who exist to train and support missional communities. Our heritage happens to be in the Vineyard movement which already has in place programs to help train people in most of the necessary gifts and theological foundation. What is needed is continued support as new communities are started and multiply.

The experience Amber and I have had as pioneers for the past 12 years has given us a unique perspective on the suburban church and how to help ordinary people grow into passionate, authentic followers of Jesus. We certainly do not have all the answers and are learning new things every day. But we believe we have built on an excellent foundation with the right materials.

Our challenge, frankly, is finding people with the courage to step outside the comfort of a traditional church setting where pastoral leaders and staff do 80% or more of the ministry. Honestly, we don’t need superstars. We are looking for people who simply want more and want to grow. The less capable you are in traditional ministry, the better. There are very few transferrable skills from a typical evangelical / charismatic church into a missional community setting. We have no parking attendants, greeters, band, sound engineer, ushers, childcare workers, or counseling team. Our budget strives to be 80% mission and 20% internal, which is the complete opposite of the average church. We actually encourage you to spend more time with your family, in your neighborhood, and actively a part of your community, than doing church activities.

In fact, our mission together is primarily aimed at connecting the people around us with, well, us. We don’t try to get people to come to a church service. We want people to experience God through actions like community meals, serving the poor and broken, healing the sick, and just having fun. Eventually we will invite them to worship with us, but only when they’re ready.

We actually enjoy being around each other, for the most part. Occasionally we’ll butt heads and have conflict. That’s normal. What’s not normal or good is ignoring the conflict or letting it fester. We practice reconciliation as a part of our worship. We work things out because God worked things out with us. Anything less is just being religious and fake.

So we are looking for a few good men and women. We need both to lead, because the New Testament is very clear that both men and women are meant to lead. We need apostles (fire-starters), prophets (God-reminders), evangelists (Gospel-tellers), pastors (community-builders), and teachers (kingdom-instructors). The Holy Spirit gives us these people in all shapes and sizes, and they aren’t all leaders!

But leadership is very important, especially when you are pioneering something new. Not all leaders are pastors. Sometimes they are just people willing to do something no one else is willing to do. Leaders can be trained and given room to grow. That’s the kind of environment we want to have.

Some organizations out there are working really hard to make this missional community idea work. You can pay them money, go to a few conferences, and they’ll coach you on how to do this. That may work for some people and I don’t doubt it is a perfectly valid thing to do. But in my humble opinion, there is nothing like experiencing something first hand. To me, there is no substitute for planting your feet in the soil of an actual community and learning as you go. Conferences, books, and outside coaching are beneficial to some degree. But I would never trade the last 12 years of working this out among friends in the paradise of Jupiter, Florida.

If you’ve read this far, you deserve a prize and a hearty congratulations. But you may also consider joining us. God didn’t call us to the inner city, a trendy part of town, or to the beautiful countryside. We live in ground zero of modern, consumeristic America. People are busy, self-absorbed, mildly religious, some conservative, some liberal, and totally American. On the outside, they have it all. Great weather, nice homes, good jobs, active fun lives. On the inside, it’s a wasteland of loneliness, anger, failed marriages, financial ruin, and shame. Middle America is crying out for the Gospel while it consumes the latest self-medicating diversion. Unfortunately, the church has been all too willing to provide it’s own diversions in order to maintain the status-quo of church attendance as the only true measure of success.

We know there is so much more. Let’s end the self-medication. Let’s move on to something real; something that points us towards the kingdom of God.

This week Ken Ham and Bill Nye told us their versions of the origin of the universe. Just another Tuesday night in America. I didn’t watch, but it was probably like most of the presidential debates I’ve seen…two people with a lot invested in demonstrating to the average American that they are, in fact, more right than the other guy. Unfortunately, as with presidential debates, both sides accomplish little towards their goal. Minds have been made up; or at least made up that they do not want to be on the wrong side of what is becoming popular opinion. We are fools to think that the modern debate is dialog. It is marketing.

Yet the market for God-denying, or at least God-ignoring, is becoming an easy sell. Recent statistics show that the largest percentage of millienials are “unaffiliated” (33%) in terms of faith. Read any progressive blog or news aggregate and you will discover why. The new heroes of science and technology provide a very compelling narrative…and some great quotes: “The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson. Hard to argue with the laws of thermodynamics, right? Without those, I wouldn’t have a job!

Combine this with a generation of church scandals, the failure of the religious right, petty theological arguments, the rise of terrorism tied to religious extremism, and total ignorance of how to respond to the LGBT community, and it’s no wonder why rejecting God makes so much sense. After all, God is just a construct of the human imagination in order to maintain a patriarchal society, alleviate the fear of the unknown, and keep the masses poor and ignorant so the rich can continue to rule the world. Why on earth would any self-respecting, intelligent, modern person in 21st century America continue to hold on to these ridiculous beliefs about God?

I mean, really.

When I was five years old I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I remember where I was sitting on our vintage 1970’s living room couch with my mom and dad. I remember the feeling of peace and security of being included. Years later, I was preparing to go to college and I had an internal conversation. Was I going to continue pursuing God or make my own way? Perhaps unusual for an eighteen year old, but I was quite sure that my own way was pretty miserable. For the past twenty-two years I have been working that decision out amidst marriage to a wonderful woman, with three children, in the engineering profession, all while leading communities of other Jesus followers.

Why do I still believe in God? The older I get, the more I understand my place in the world can be easily filled with my own short-sighted ideas and grasping at self-preservation. It is human nature to believe that I make my own meaning and survive as any animal might. But things that appear true today often turn out to be false tomorrow. And what seems guaranteed today is often tragically lost tomorrow. God is everything we have hoped for and longed to be, but failed to deliver as master of our fate and captain of our soul. His story is ancient and modern all at once. Ironically, God is more concerned with our future than our origin. His story is filled with ridiculous ideas like love, grace, mercy, restoration, sacrifice and ultimately the most absurd idea of all – resurrection. It is these ideas that have been pushed aside because they are uncomfortable, old-fashioned, or illogical. However, they are at the heart of God’s good news to the world. We may be star-dust, but we are Loved.

So I will continue to pursue this God and his mysterious plan for the redemption of mankind, the heavens and earth. I recognize that it may no longer be a popular path. In the near future, it may cost me more than I can imagine. Sometimes I live like a functional atheist. But hopefully more often than not, I’m a believer.